What if you threw a party tonight? |
The US, apparently, is becoming increasingly averse to parties. As The Atlantic noted last month, only an average of 4.1 percent of Americans attended or hosted social events on an average weekend or holiday in 2023. The problem isn’t due to a lack of desire: Most people are happy with the number of friends they have, per a 2024 study, but less than half of respondents were satisfied with the amount of time they spent with these friends.
Parties are, of course, a simple-in-theory way to bring a bunch of people together, but preconceived notions about what these gatherings should be can hamstring us from setting a date in the first place. What if no one shows up? Is my house clean enough? I’m a terrible cook with crappy dinnerware. Is this the most boring party ever? “There’s traditionally been a lot of pressure, especially on women, to be an accomplished host right out the gate,” says Lizzie Post, etiquette expert and co-president at the Emily Post Institute. “It’s a skill that we develop over time.”
Rather than work yourself into a ball of nerves, I propose a humble gathering solution: the come-as-you-are party. Growing up, I heard tales of these impromptu, deliciously fun get-togethers my grandparents pulled together within a few hours in the ’70s and ’80s. Every so often, the story goes, my grandfather would wake up on a Saturday morning and casually suggest having a party that evening. All day long,........